For the next two weeks, we''re going to try something new. This is an experiment, and there is a reasonable chance that it might not work out. For the next two weeks you may put your promotional/publisher posts in the relevant game forum. Please read this thread for more information.

Rage of Demons/Out of the Abyss

Out of the Abyss released earlier this week (having been available to preferred stores for a couple of week prior to that), and lots of people have bought and devoured it. The ratings are starting to come in, and the adventure is currently hovering around the 82% mark. By contrast, Princes of the Apocalypsehas a solid 91.5%, while the two Tyranny of Dragons adventures have 53% and 75%, respectively.
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Some lucky people got it 11 days ago; for most of the rest of us, Out of the Abyss hit stores today. Currently trending with a rating of 78%, this adventure - with its mix of whimsical characters and dark themes - is proving divisive for some. For all the previous coverage of the adventure, including tons of previews, click here. And then head down to your FLGS and pick it up. "The Underdark is a subterranean wonderland, a vast and twisted labyrinth where fear reigns. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss. What steps through surprises even him, and from that moment on, the insanity that pervades the Underdark escalates and threatens to shake the Forgotten Realms to its foundations. Stop the madness before it consumes you!" &nbsp...READ MORE

Out of the Abyss is out today in selected game stores (it'll be out elsewhere on September 15th), and many folks have already gotten their copies. As details trickle in (Drizzt is not in the adventure), here's one quick tidbit courtesy of EN World member Evandis: the Challenge Rating of the eight demon lords who are rampaging around the Underdark! Head down to your local game store (assuming it's a Wizards Play Network store) today to grab the adventure, produced for WotC by Green Ronin.
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Rage of Demons, the new D&D storyline, brings a host of iconic villains back to the Forgotten Realms. In this video, Dungeons & Dragons designers explain who the demon lords are and the threat they represent to the Forgotten Realms. "Dare to Descend with a suite of Rage of Demons products, including: Sword Coast Legends, Neverwinter: Underdark, a D&D tabletop roleplaying game adventure, miniatures and accessories."
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There's a lengthy interview with Chris Perkins over at iO9 about Out of the Abyss (release date - tomorrow!) Not only does it contain some new art, it also contains a major plot spoiler - one major enough that I've left it below the fold for those reading this on the news page. The interview also discusses illithids, svirneblin, insane derro cuthroat gangs, weird architecture, and more. This is an interview which covers more of the darker stuff than the whimsical stuff we've been seeing a lot of recently.
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At PAX Prime this week, the trailer below was shown. "Dare to Descend! Demon Lords have invaded the Underdark. Get a glimpse of what's in store for the Forgotten Realms with a suite of Rage of Demons products, including: Sword Coast Legend, Neverwinter: Underdark, a D&D tabletop roleplaying game adventure, miniatures and accessories".
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The Escapist has an awesome preview of Orcus himself! And by preview, I mean the stats -- along with some background features for Out of the Abyss. He's a CR 26 monster, wielding his famous wand. Also interesting his the quote from Chris Perkins, who clarified that the PCs would not fight him directly, but that "Fortunately, Out of the Abyss gives characters the chance to amass a small army and also turn the demon lords against one another, thus weakening them. There are also a couple other ways to banish the demon lords back to the Abyss, which is the party's ultimate goal." &nbsp...READ MORE

Just a quick poll. By now, you've probably seen some of the Alice in Wonderland inspired whimsical elements of Out of the Abyss, as contrasted with the darker demon lord stuff in the adventure. I like it - a lot. I've seen a couple of people declare extreme dislike of it. At least as much as we've seen, which isn't much. So here's the question: What's your opinion on mixing whimsy like this with a darker themed setting like the Underdark? Click through to vote in the poll. (Note - comments closed on this post - click through to the actual poll to vote and post any comments).
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Forbes has covered the upcoming 256-page Out of the Abyss with a look at some of the whimsical Alice-in-Wonderland inspired NPCs from the adventure. Characters like Rumpadump & Stool (a myconid and his companion), The Pudding King, the Svirfneblin twins Topsy & Turvy, Prince Derendil the elf prince polymorphed into a quaggoth, Buppido the insane derro, and the ragtag group of Underdark misfits known as The Society of Brilliance (which includes a mindflayer with a missing tentacle, a mute troglodyte scout, and a kuo-toa cleric) all feature.
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WotC has sent along a Derro-themed package today. This is a page from Out of the Abyss (the upcoming adventure, September 15th), plus an additional piece of Derro-tastic art. Derro, as you may know, first showed up in 1982's The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Degenerate dwarves, they are evil and sneaky, and often feature powerful magic-wielding savants in their midst. Not only that, though - this page also shows an index of all the new NPCs and monsters in the adventure, sorted by Challenge Rating!
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The latest preview from Out of the Abyss, the upcoming (September 15th; Sep 4th in preferred stores) adventure for D&D 5th Edition shows a brand new magic item - the wand of viscid globs. This thing was crafted by the drow, and is used to restrain foes with viscous globs of slime.
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Busy day for Out of the Abyss news! There have been a few previews this week (foreword; underdark outposts; Zuggtmoy), a hand-sculpted model of Zuggtmoy, and now an art piece called The Fetid Wedding, also featuring Zuggtmoy. I suspect next week will be a new demon. "Once aware of Araumycos, Zuggtmoy seeks to control the massive fungus. She makes a show of “wooing” the massive fungus with a grotesque courtship that she plans to culminate with a repulsive mockery of a wedding—really a ritual of demonic domination. During the ceremony, Zuggtmoy will be attended by her “bridesmaids” and fungal thralls. Talk about a Bridezilla. Art by Craig J Spearing."
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At the Wizards of the Coast offices in Seattle, a certain Demon Lord has arrived... in a cardboard box. "Zuggtmoy is in the house! She came all the way from France where she was lovingly hand-sculpted by artist extraordinaire, VIRGINIE ROPARS - OFFICIAL to be our cover model for Dragon+. Zuggymoy was eagerly unboxed by her adoring attendants, helmed by D&D's wonderfully talented Creative Director (and instigator for this sculpture), Shauna Narciso." So Zuggtmoy is French, eh?
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The website Critical Hits has a preview page from the upcoming Out of the Abyss adventure for D&D 5th Edition. The adventure has September 15th release date (11 days earlier for preferred stores) and was produced by Green Ronin for WotC. The preview shows some details about underdark outposts, along with a few areas.
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Courtesy of WotC is this preview from the upcoming adventure, Out of the Abyss. This preview features Zuggtmoy, the Lady of Rot, and the Demon Queen of Fungi. Out of the Abyss is only a month away now (or even earlier for preferred stores which get an 11-day head start). "Zuggtmoy, Demoness Lady of Fungi, dread and fell ruler of the 222nd ghastly plane of the Abyss, made her first full appearance in T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil. In her natural form, she appeared as a puffball mushroom with a toadstool growing on top. Four elephantine legs with suckers on the bottoms supported her spherical body. Truly disgusting to smell, and just as revolting to behold, Zuggtmoy is capable of summoning legions of hostile fungi to do her bidding, and may control all manner of plant life within her sphere of influence."

Out of the Abyss is nearly here. Demons will rage, most likely. One thing that all the 5E books share in common is a humorous disclaimer in the front of each. Wondering what the one in Out of the Abyss says? Look no further! It's down below this image of Demogorgon tearing Menzoberranzan apart!
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Check out this selection of images directly from the upcoming Rage of Demons storyline. The following images are of postcards available at Gen Con. All eight demons described, in a storyline WotC's Mike Mearls describes as "So what's Rage of Demons about? Imagine of Cthulhu woke up in the Underdark and there were eight of him." Meet Yeenoghu, Demogorgon, Zuggtmoy, Baphomet, Graz'zt, Orcus, Juiblex, and Fraz-Urb'luu!
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Coming soon from WiKids are the official licensed Rage of Demons miniatures. Here's a quick look at three of them - the invisible blink dog, the air mymridon, and the the drow scout. These come in the Icons of the Realms series.
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[Promoted post] The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide is an official upcoming sourcebook from WotC. More accurately, it's the first official 5E setting book from WotC! "Get everything you need to adventure in the Forgotten Realms on the exciting Sword Coast, home to the cities of Baldur’s Gate, Waterdeep, and Neverwinter! A collaboration between Green Ronin Publishing and the Dungeons & Dragons team at Wizards of the Coast, the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide provides D&D fans with a wealth of detail on the places, cultures, and deities of northwestern Faerûn." Set for release November 3rd, this will be the first official setting book, and is timed to release along with the Sword Coast Legends video game.
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Reviews

How much you like Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica will depend upon what you want. If you're a Magic the Gathering player who wants an RPG version of Ravnica, GGtR may or may not satisfy you, depending upon how much setting depth you want from MtG. If you're looking for a full setting like the old Dungeons & Dragons' box sets, then you'll probably be disappointed because this is more of a slice of Ravnica than a comprehensive resource. If you're looking for more of a toolkit for creating adventures in the famous Magic the Gathering setting, GGtR is it If you're looking for a D&D fantasy setting because you're tired of Forgotten Realms but still want something in a similar ballpark thematically, then GGtR will also work for you.

Invisible Sun, the surrealist RPG by Monte Cook Games is definitely unique in many ways. While premium or high production value board games and LARPs have become increasingly common, the RPG industry version has been tame by comparison. Invisible Sun blows the concept out of the water. I've never seen an RPG that had shelving before.

Wizards of the Coast has worked hard to provide a variety of adventure types for 5th Edition and with Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage they're tackling megadungeons. Mad Mage can be played on its own, if the players begin with 5th characters or better, or it can follow up the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure, which is for 1st through 6th level characters. Please note: This review contains spoilers.

Degenesis: Rebirth is the latest edition of a game whose lineage goes back to the early 2000s. Christian Günther and Marko Djurdjevic put together their primal punk universe of a post-apocalyptic Earth and with Sixmorevodka have put out this slick new edition. KatharSys is Book II of the Degenesis: Rebirth edition and holds all the mechanical information needed to be a protagonist (player) or game master in the universe of Degenesis.